Abstract:

In the conditions of the today's labor market in Latvia and Europe, the requirements for the new specialists become stricter and they are changing constantly together with the changes in the fields of their specialties. In the previous investigations of the author, it was stated that one of the most important necessary skills is knowing foreign languages. Working in different foreign countries and also in Latvia, foreign languages competence plays an important role in getting a job and making a career.
The present research is aimed at improving the teaching of professional English at the Faculty of Engineering, Latvia University of Agriculture.
The article presents the results of the inquiry in the skills and competences necessary for engineers and the changes in the study course “Professional Foreign Language”, maid as a result of analyzing the answers of the respondents who are the third and the fourth year students of the faculty after having had an on-job training in their specialty. Similarly, some graduates of the faculty were interviewed, and their opinions were analyzed that insured an opportunity to draw trustful conclusions about the requirements in the study course to make it suitable for ensuring the acquisition of the most important skills and competences for the new specialists. Some extra-curricular activities are described that help in the fulfillment of the tasks of the mentioned study program.

Keywords:

Competence, foreign language.